The number of ways you can shoot a photo on a modern Lumia, such as the 830, 930 or 1520, is multiplying. Leading to possible confusion and I thought a tabular breakdown of typical subject matter, scenes and conditions might be helpful. Which mode is it best to use for each? How simple can I make it?
‘Never settle’, ‘Never Compromise’, and so on are phrases often used in smartphone marketing, the idea being that nothing was sacrificed in the journey to bring you, the customer, the perfect device. OnePlus’s recent One (in the Android world) and Microsoft's Lumia 532 are good examples of this, yet I’m afraid I have some bad news for you - every single smartphone ever designed represented a compromise.
Do not go straight to Windows 10, do not collect £200, etc. Well, yes, you may be able to try the Insider programme and enjoy an early build of '10', depending on which device you own, but the more stable path seems to be to wait for a new major build of Windows Phone 8.1.... 'Update 2'. Potentially this could involve a matching 'Lumia' package, so maybe my predictions of a 'Lumia Emerald' in the past won't be too far off? Anyway, here's my curated list of what we should expect in Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2.
So far on All About Windows Phone 'imaging' has all been about the rear-facing cameras on our smartphones, i.e. taking a photo of something. But what about the other camera - the one that points back at you? Now that 'selfies' are officially a thing (though I draw the line at special 'sticks'!), I thought a comparison, in terms of specs at least, of the front-facing cameras on Windows Phone hardware was in order - though it quickly becomes apparent that there's a 'sweet spot', beyond which it really is a case of diminishing returns. There is precisely zero point in a 13MP front facing camera. Really.
Yes, I know that Nokia's market research team told them that bright orange would be well received. But it wasn't in this household. So, despite having an orange 930, I set out to find a replacement back that was black - the colour all good smartphones should be(!) Here's my pictorial tale...
The idea of grabbing stills from video footage has taken on a new trendiness in recent times with the likes of the Lumia 930 and 1520 able to shoot 4K video and take out useable 8MP JPG photos - shoot a kid or pet or sporting moment and then worrying about the exact frame to use as a still later on, etc. The 830 gets in on the act with 2K video and 2MP stills, but what about the older hardware? It turns out the Lumia 920, 925 and 1020 can match the newer 830, extracting images of similar quality.
Late last week, a stylish new Twitter client was launched for Windows Phone - Aeries. It's in my review list, but I'm waiting for the application to stabilise before delivering a full verdict. In the meantime, though, I caught up with its developer, Brad Stevenson, chatting about his new Twitter app and all things Windows (Phone). See the video below.
Just to clarify, I'm talking about the Microsoft-written Podcasts client that ships alongside Windows Phone 8.1 and above - not the generic class of podcatchers, rounded up last year. Unless you're a podcast power listener, the 'official' client may be all you need, so I thought a quick set of tips might help a new Windows Phone user get going and comfortable with Podcasts.
With the Windows 10 Technical Preview now out for phones - at least, for a variety of mainly lower end devices, and with the chance to play with it at AAWP Towers, I wanted to assess its state and what is and isn't included. Find below a handy reference table, plus screenshots and comments. More from us on this in the podcast!
I've had many requests for a camera head-to-head between the Nokia Lumia 830 and 930, not least since they're now about the same price at some outlets. But I thought I'd wait until they both had Lumia Denim and the new camera software. And then, heck, I couldn't resist adding in the Lumia 1020 and Symbian-powered Nokia 808 PureView into the mix. Plus an Android imposter, just to add an extra reference point. Gulp! So much to analyse and comment on below.
